Shutdown Protests Take Over D.C. Memorials

Tea Party Sen. Ted Cruz (R.,Texas) speaks at a rally at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington Oct. 13.

By Neil King Jr. and Thomas M. Burton

Thousands of people converged Sunday on the White House and some of Washington’s most famous monuments to protest the closing of government memorials and other byproducts of the government shutdown.

Billed as the “Million Vet March,” the protests were sparked by nationwide anger over scenes of World War II veterans making their way past barricades at the closed memorial built in their honor on the National Mall. The scene drew tea party-backed politicians, including Republican senators Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, both of whom have figured prominently in events that resulted in the partial shutdown. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also showed up.

The protesters, who had driven in from around the country, tossed aside the barricades in front of the World War II memorial and later did the same in front of the Lincoln Memorial, opening the latter for the first time since it was closed on the morning the partial government shutdown began on Oct 1.

As U.S. Park Police looked on, thousands of veterans and others, many waving placards and yellow “Don’t Tread On Me” flags, occupied the marble steps and platforms leading up to the Lincoln Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial remained accessible for several hours, but by 2 p.m. park police had again barricaded the site.

A spokesman for the National Park Service said the National Mall and all memorials alongside it are officially closed, but that people participating in the marches were allowed access “to the veterans’ memorials, as has every veterans group, their families and friends who have wished to visit the memorials since Oct. 1.”

Joining the veterans were hundreds of truck drivers who streamed into the city blaring their horns with huge American flags attached to the backs of their truck cabs. Participants who had driven in from as far away as Florida, South Carolina and Ohio said they had been stirred to come by a burst of anger on talk radio and social media.

Protesters directed anger at President Barack Obama. When a large Navy helicopter flew overhead that resembled the one that frequently ferries the president, a chorus of boos broke out from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In front of the White House, several hundred veterans chanted anti-Obama slogans. A large cheer went up when several veterans held up a large “Impeach Obama” banner along the fence in front of the White House. Some waved Confederate flags.

When a group of tourists asked one protester in camouflage jacket and pants if the group was there because of the government shutdown, the man pointed to the White House and said, “No, we’re here because of that man there.”

Conversations with a number of the protesters, though, found that many had come simply to show solidarity with other veterans and out of a broader disgust over the state of government in Washington. One Vietnam War veteran, wearing a T-shirt with “Peace” emblazoned across his chest and wobbling on a cane, said through tears that he had driven from Cleveland along with a friend “to stand side by side with other veterans and out of concern for the sort of world we are going to leave to my grandchildren.”

Later in the afternoon, hundreds of protesters were back at the Lincoln Memorial, with more “Don’t Tread on Me” flags, U.S. flags and anger directed at the president and the ten Park Police officers standing behind the reassembled barricades.

“Mr. Obama, Take down this fence,” yelled Aaron Everett of Pittsburgh, Pa. Asked why he was there, he said, “I don’t want to be told what I have to buy or what memorials I can’t see.” Several protesters said they sought to impeach the president and that they blamed him for the government shutdown.

The scene was more peaceful at other memorials, but tourists had accessed those memorials after ignoring signs detailing closures. At the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, people ignored the signs reading, “Because of the Federal Government Shutdown, All National Parks Are Closed. This site is closed.” They tore away police tape around the site, and people were wandering past the huge sculptures that make up the monument and posing for photos.

At the Korean War memorial nearby, tourists wandered freely through the site in full view of a National Park Service employee.

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